


After the End of the World

by Butterfly_owl



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), Brave (2012), Frozen (2013), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 12:12:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7102897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Butterfly_owl/pseuds/Butterfly_owl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The World has fallen to ruins. The Invaders have taken over. Humankind has scattered. Some have grouped up, others are alone. But everyone has one goal. Survive. <br/>Then, a lonely girl finds a way. A way to rid the planet of its suffering. At a price. But if it's the only way, then Rapunzel will do anything, go anywhere, and team up with anyone. <br/>But will she and her new friends succeed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rapunzel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The battle of New York was lost. The Avengers dead. And the Chitari in control. Humankind hid in the dark little corners of their world, hoping not to be found.   
> Generations were born and killed, old age wasn't an option, and the world forgot about the hope it once had. About green grass and blue sky, about long lives and peaceful childhoods. All they could remember was how to survive.   
> But there was a way out. A way to end the madness. Despite the price to pay, mankind wanted this way out. But they could not find it, no matter how hard they looked. Eventually they gave up, but they never forgot. Hoping that one day, someone would find the way out.

The sun was shining right in my face. I groaned and tried to smother my head into my pillow to block out the light, but my pillow wasn't there, nor was I actually on my bed, or lying down at all. I squinted one eye open. As I thought, I had fallen asleep in my armchair again. I hate it when I do that for this reason, it's right in the way of the morning light.  
I sighed and stretched, opening my eyes fully. Which book had I been reading? It was rare that I got so into a book that I couldn't put it down, seeing as how I'd read all the ones already in my tower, and they no longer held any surprise.  
Then I remembered, it was the journal-like one that I had found under a loose floorboard just last week. The beginning had been rather boring, talking about some super powered team getting together, and some agent person dying, but then it talked about a battle of New York, an alien race, and the death of the super team. That's when I'd gotten hooked.  
I opened the book to the page I had left it on. It was confusing, it had a location, and a series of instructions, but what for?  
I let the thought hang and went to make breakfast, my supplies were getting low, I'd have to leave the tower soon to get more, maybe go foraging, it was strawberry season, I could visit the glades, but they were so open, with so little cover. What if a creature, or an 'alien' as the journal claimed the 8' monsters were called, was out there, I'd never be able to fight one off myself, how I wished I still had Flynn. Or even my mother. Or anyone, really, just someone to spend the long days with.  
I sighed and ate the last of the nettle soup from yesterday's dinner, I'd bring the dandelion and mint leaves with me when I went out later.  
For now I just sat back down in my chair and opened the journal. I read through the instructions carefully, still not sure what they were for. At the end was a paragraph, hastily written, and what looked like drops of old blood.  
"I pray that this will never be needed, that the world will never come to this, but I know how naive such a notion can be. My time on this once beautiful planet has come to close, and I hand the responsibility of the Cure to whomever will read this. Save our world, save yourself and those you love, and go to New York. My prayers are with you."  
What did it mean? What cure? Could it cure the world of the Aliens?  
I turned the page, it was blank, and the next and the one after that. The whole rest of the book was empty.  
I reread the instructions, having a sliver more of an idea of what they meant. And now one line stood out "and all sentient life, but for the ten that begin this massacre, will be destroyed."  
I looked up 'sentient' in my dictionary, having never heard the word before.  
'Adj - consciously perceiving.'  
Consciously perceiving? Did that mean thinking?  
Did the cure kill all the thinking minds on earth? That would mean all the Aliens! But, the horrible thought dawned me, that would mean all the humans would die, too.  
Ok, ok, ok, I thought, get your mind together.  
The cure is activated by 10 people, it kills all people and aliens on the planet, except the 10.  
Why would this even be an option? It was stupid, why would they even think about that, how would killing all of mankind make anything better.  
Then I thought of another of my books, of the story of Noah, how the world was so horrible, and bitter, and cold, that God wiped them all out, leaving just Noah and his family to repopulate the earth.  
'... This once beautiful planet..."  
I could make it beautiful again. I could destroy the horrible, and restart.  
But what about all the other people, the ones who'd die. Could I do that to them? Would they let me, if they found out what I was planning?  
A memory surfaced, of Flynn yelling "Run, Blondie! I'll hold them off, get back to the tower!"  
People were dying anyway. Dying younger than they should have. On one of my shelves was a photo book, with a picture of a women who's hair had gone grey, who's face was more wrinkled than not, she sat in front of a cake with a candle that said '70'. Nowadays it was a miracle to reach 40.  
Maybe they could go back to the ways things were?  
Maybe I could at least try. I decided.


	2. Merida

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to save some confusion, Rapunzel calls the Chitari Aliens or Creatures. But Merida calls them Trolls. Every group calls them something different so I'll try and tell you before I introduce a new one. And I'll stop calling them Chitari because no one calls them that. Also, Merida's lot calls the Cure the 'Genocide'.

Border patrol was, in a word, boring. Not that I was complaining. It was better than some of the other jobs, like cooking *shudder*.   
But it was boring, all the same. Just standing there, for hours, waiting for something to happen, but hoping that it didn't.   
I had about 30 minutes of my shift left when I saw something on the horizon, it was still too far off to see much, but it looked pink. Trolls weren't pink. I did the horn call of "I see something but it don't look dangerous so far" and within minutes a rider came to my position, I pointed to where the pink thing was slowly getting bigger and the rider went off to get a closer look. I watched, straining my eyes as the rider approached the pink, and stopped for a few moments then came galloping back. The pink thing was gone. I assumed it was a person and now he/she was on the back of the horse. When they came closer, I stepped aside to keep from being trampled, I knew they wouldn't stop to tell me anything, I'd just have to wait until my shift ended and I returned to the camp.   
I fidgeted till a boy, Dingwall, finally came to take my place, then I all but ran to the main clearing.   
What we called a 'camp' was a little more permanent than the definition of the word. Some people still slept in tents, but most had wooden cabins. We had started building here when I was just a lass, before that we had traveled place to place, looking for somewhere safe. Here was good because we had cover in the woods, but if the Trolls, or another clan, tried to attack, they would have none in the plains that surround the haven. Which gives us time to spot them and prepare for a fight, or run, depending.   
I finally made it to the Hall. This was where the stranger would be taken to speak with the clan chief. I slipped through the slightly open door and, hid in the crowd of people listening to what the stranger and the chief said.   
"You say you know of where the Genocide is?"  
"Um, well, maybe," came a girls voice, she had long blonde hair and wore a slightly ragged pink dress. "In the book that I found, it said the Cure was in New York. But I don't know, I didn't even think anyone else knew it existed." She gave a nervous laugh.   
"We have known about what you call the 'Cure' for a long time, my father told me of it, as his father told him, and so on. It was said that there was a way to kill all the Trolls, and we have searched ever since, to no avail."   
"But it will kill all humans, too, aren't you worried about that?" She began nervously twisting her skirt with her hands.   
"All but 10." The chief's wife, who sat next to her husband, said, "10 people who will save the human race. I assume that you came for the other 9 despite your doubts, am I wrong?"  
"No, yes, maybe." The girl hung her head, "it's complicated."  
"That it is, but I believe that the Genocide is the only way." The Chieftess walked over to the girl, "Can you be trusted to do what needs to be done, daughter of Gothel?"  
The girl looked up at the older woman, and nodded.   
"Then we shall ask our clan for volunteers to join you." She announced to the whole room, most of the clan was already in here.   
On the spur of the moment, I stepped out of the throng of people, "I'll go." I said loudly.   
The chief jumped, obviously shocked at my sudden appearance, but his wife remained quite calm. "No, Merida, you will not." She stated.   
"But Mother!" Oh, yeah, did I forget to mention? They were my parents.   
"I said no, Merida, and that is that."  
"Why not? If it works, I'll continue the Dunbroch family, if it fails, well, I guess the boys can take that job. But it'll be an adventure! I'll finally do something on my own that's worth something!"  
My mother sighed, "Rapunzel will stay the night here, we'll give everyone who might want to go time to think, that includes you." She walked out the room as if that was final, and my Father followed.   
I went up to the girl, "I'm Merida! I'll help you find somewhere to sleep."  
"I'm Rapunzel, were you really serious? About coming with me?"  
"'Course I was! There ain't nothing better than a good ol' adventure!"  
She smiled. "Thank you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, I was summoned to my Mother's private chambers, probably to discuss my decision.   
I knocked in her door. "Come in," she called. "Oh, Merida, good morning!" She said when I walked in, as if she were surprised to see me (¿¿¿¿¿she asked me here????).  
"Good morning, mother." I said politely. If I wanted to get my way, I'd have to be on my best behaviour.   
"Your father and I spoke of your desire to join on the quest to the Genocide." She paused, "and we decided that you are old enough to make your own decisions, and have proven yourself enough that if you truly wish, then you may go."  
I grinned, "I truly do, mother, thank you!"   
She came over to me and kissed my forehead, "Good luck to you, Merida."  
"And to you, Mother." I answered, as custom said for this kind of occasion, we did not say goodbye, goodbye meant that you may not see each other again, and that was not a good thought in days like these.  
I went to my room and got dressed into clothes better for fighting and travelling, I packed all my weapons, as well as food, drink, and things for making a fire, into my rucksack and went to see Rapunzel. She was already up and was sitting in front of her mirror with a pair of scissors in her hand. She hesitated, then cut off one golden lock, just below her shoulders.  
As she reached for a second lock I said, louder than I had intended, "what are you doing?" She jumped, at the same moment as she closed the silver scissors, cutting this lock far shorter than she had intended, it barely went lower than her ear.   
I gasped and started apologising, but she just shrugged. "I wanted to go that short anyway, but couldn't bring myself to, now I guess I don't have a choice."   
"But why cut it at all?" I asked, I had never cut my own hair, after all.   
"Its too long, it'll just get in my way when we travel." I nodded with understanding, unbraided her hair must leave a several foot trail when she walked.   
"Well, my mother agreed to let me join you!"  
She smiled, still chopping off locks of her hair, "really? That's so great! I was hoping she would!"  
"Me too! Now we just need another 8 people to sign up."  
That didn't end up being nearly as difficult as I had expected, as most had already signed up. And it didn't take long for the other places to be filled.   
And soon we were off, the 9 Clan members, and Rapunzel, who looked very different from when she had arrived the day before. Her hair seemed almost brown now that it had been cut, with all the parts that had been bleached by the sun gone. And someone had found better travel gear than her pink dress. The gear was a wee bit too big, but it'll do.   
I ignored the Clansmen around us, and just listened to my new friend talk, she was telling me the story of her favourite book, and you could see the enthusiasm in her eyes as spoke.   
This was going to be a fun trip, if we survive, that is.


	3. Hiccup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Hiccup's word is 'Thing'

Ahh, I love the feeling of a nice cool breeze on a hot day as I lay in the peace and quiet of my desert.   
As usual, that was about the time the screaming started.   
I jumped up immediately and started running towards the sound, it was coming from the small thicket of trees by the old building.   
As I ran I concentrated harder on the screams, it was coming from multiple people, that was for sure, and there was at least one female, or a man who screamed like a girl, but the former was more likely.   
As soon as I reached the first trees I hit something soft. I heard a girlish yelp, possibly my own, and hit the ground. As soon as my head cleared up some, I jumped up again and looked at what I'd hit. It was a girl, about a foot shorter than me, with short brown, more chocolate coloured than my own, and a face of pure terror.   
"Are you ok?" I asked.   
"I-I think so, but Merida, and the others, they're still back there!" She pointed back to where the amount of screams had dramatically decreased.   
I nodded and started running in that direction, surprisingly, the girl followed.   
It seemed to take an age to reach the small clearing, and by the time we did, there were no screams left.   
(A/N did I just kill Merida? Am I really that cruel? I didn't know I had that in me!)   
The clearing was strewn with bodies, both human and Things. Judging by the girl's face, she'd never seen this kind of bloodshed, I mean, I've seen this kind of bloodshed before, and I felt like throwing up, too.   
Despite being about to up chuck her lunch, the girl still forced herself to look at each of the bodies. I assumed she was grieving or something so I remained quiet.   
Then, after a few minutes, I decided to break the silence, "I'm so-"  
"Merida's not here." She interrupted.   
(A/N I guess I'm not that cruel, huh.)  
"What?"   
"Merida, she's not here, and all the arrows that killed those Aliens, they're hers. I think she went that way." She pointed across the clearing and started walking that way.   
"Wait, what?" I was still just standing there, stunned. Could her friend have survived?   
The girl kept walking. Seeing no other choice but to follow her, I ran to catch up.   
We walked for a little while in silence until she put her hand out to stop me, pointing at something on the ground, I didn't see anything but whatever she did see (whether or not its actually there, I thought) made her run with renewed energy.   
We had almost made it to the tree line when a voice came out of seemingly nowhere.   
"Don't move a muscle or, I swear, I will shoot this arrow into your eye socket."  
"Merida?!" The brunette girl called.   
There was a short silence before, "Rapunzel?"  
"Your alive! I was so worried!" The girl, I now assumed her name to be Rapunzel, squealed.   
Another girl, this one with a bushel of bright orange hair, dropped out of a tree to my right, and the two girls embraced.   
"I thought a Hill Crawler like you would be dead in 10 seconds flat in a fight like that." 'Merida' laughed, but discretely wiped a tear from her eye.   
"I still don't know what a Hill Crawler is." Rapunzel laughed back.   
I awkwardly cleared my throat, not wanting to ruin the touching moment but not wanting to be ignored either.   
"Sorry, I'm being rude." Rapunzel said, "Merida, this is... I don't think I caught your name, actually."  
"Hiccup," I said.   
"Hiccup." She repeated, "I'm Rapunzel, and this is Merida. Thank you for helping us."  
"I didn't really do anything." I muttered.   
"Nonsense!" Rapunzel argued, "You helped me get the courage to come back! I'd never have found Merida again if it weren't for you!"  
"Yeah," Merida agreed, "we at least owe you dinner! Lemme just get our supplies!"  
"I'll come!" Rapunzel offered.   
"Yeah, me too!" I honestly just didn't want to be left alone.   
So we all trekked back to the battlefield. I realised that the girls only got their own rucksacks, not the ones of their dead comrades.   
"Shouldn't we- er- bury them?" Rapunzel asked as she delicately stepped over a fallen Thing.   
Merida looked at her blankly, "It's a harsh world. Folk don't get buried in a harsh world." She gathered the rest of her things and walked out of the clearing. Rapunzel and I hurried to follow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, what happened?" I asked. We were in the old building, surrounding a fire where two skinned rabbits were roasting, when I finally broke the awkward silence. "And what are you doing in these parts anyway?"  
Merida took a deep breath and began to explain their plan of activating the Genocide. But it wasn't until she mentioned that they needed 10 people that I realised why it sounded so familiar.   
"You mean the Wipe-Out?" I interrupted.   
"Does everyone have a new name for it?!" Rapunzel complained.  
"What do you call it?" I asked, honestly interested. Like the Things, which I had already noticed that Rapunzel called Aliens and Merida called Trolls, the Wipe-Out always had a different name depending on who you spoke to.   
"Well, the book I found called it the Cure." Rapunzel answered.   
"Oh, like what the Guardians call it."  
"Who are the Guardians?" Merida asked.   
"They're a small team of grown ups that take care of a group of kids and young families. They used to live in a Haven in the mountains, but they were found. More than half their number were killed. They've been looking for a new Haven ever since. Hey, speaking of families, were you two actually going to make one with those men that were with you? They seemed kind of old!"   
"What? Why would we make families with them?" Merida looked disgusted by the idea.   
"Um, when you repopulated the earth?" Their faces went from shock to realisation, then Merida's turned a little green. They obviously hadn't thought about that. Of course I did though, I'm like that, and now these girls probably thought I was some kind of pervert. "If you're still planning on the Wipe-Out, though, I could recommend a place with a few very eligible young gentlemen."  
Merida glared at me and Rapunzel blushed like crazy.   
"I'm serious though, those Guardians I was talking about? They passed by here a couple days ago, it'll take about a day for us to catch up."  
"Us?" Merida asked.   
"Well, not meaning to sound arrogant or anything, but if you're wiping out the human race, I wanna be one of the ones who survive."


	4. Jack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack calls them 'Its'

I was tired, so tired that I could probably have fallen asleep right there at the fire, but I was always like this after scouting. And North always put me on scouting, he said it was because I was "so fast, its almost like the boy's flyin'" but I knew the real reason. If I came across trouble, I'd be the best one to deal with it.   
I hadn't come across trouble that day but I was still tired. However, when I heard a commotion by the west side of camp, I still went to investigate. It wasn't any Its. If it were, I'd be hearing screams, which I wasn't, maybe a couple of the boys were fighting again?   
When I got closer my sister, Snowflake, came running up to me.   
"Strangers." She said quietly. I couldn't hear her at first so I knelt down and let her say it in my ear. Kneeling like this only reminded me how small Snowflake was for her age. Tooth, the main babysitter, said it was normal, that a lot of kids still hadn't gotten their growth spurts at 12, but I still worried that it was because it was not enough food, or too much stress, or - I shook my head to clear away the thoughts.  
"Let's go get a closer look." I whispered back to her. She nodded and gave me a gap-toothed grin. I took her hand and we pushed into the chaos.   
When we finally made it the front, I saw the strangers. Two girls and a boy. One girl had short, brown hair, and wore ill-fitted travel gear. The other girl's gear fitted well and was obviously well used, her hair was a bright orange and curled in every direction, she also wore archer's wrist guards and had an empty quiver on her back, someone would have taken their weapons before letting them in the main camp. Both girls were strangers to me, but the boy with them, I knew.   
"Hiccup!" I called and everyone turned to look at me, I walked over to the brunet and clasped his arm in what Tooth called a "weird guy way of saying 'I'm too cool for a high five but still wanna give you a high five'".   
"Jack? You know him?" North asked. North was the guy that we had named our leader, mostly because, coming up on 50, he was the oldest person in the tribe, possibly in the world.  
"Yeah, I've met him on a couple of scouting trips, he's a Lone Runner." Muffled whispers went through the surrounding crowd when I said that. Lone Runners didn't tend to survive long, but if they did, then they were probably pretty badass.   
"If he's lone then why's he got two friends?" Bunny asked. Bunny was Tooth's partner, he had an accent that said whoever raised him wasn't from this continent, and he tended to get grumpy and suspicious with newcomers.  
"We're on a mission. We know where the Wipe-Out is." Everyone gasped as Hiccup said this. "We're going to save the world."  
"Everyone back to what you were doing." North announced. "You three come with me, " he pointed at Hiccup and the two strangers, "Bunny and Jack, you too."  
I gave Snowflake to Tooth and followed North to his tent. Once everyone was inside, North had the strangers tell him everything they knew about the Wipe-Out. The brunette girl started, she told about a journal and decision, but I didn't listen to much of it, I was just noticing how her eyes sparkled when she spoke about her books, and how every once in a while she'd touch her hair as if making sure what little she had was still there, she was pretty, as pretty as anyone could be in a post-apocalyptic world with killer-creatures 'round every corner. I wasn't totally sure why I noticed, but I did.   
Then the red-head talked about being attacked by the Its, or 'Trolls' as she called them, which, you gotta admit, is pretty funny, and losing the other 8 that were supposed to activate the- did she call it the Genocide? That's harsh. Then about Hiccup finding them.   
He took up the story then, talking about his decision to take them here because he, apparently, was the first person to think about after the Wipe-Out, when they'd have to repopulate the Earth, and if he was gonna have to repopulate, he'd rather it was someone his age.   
That's Hiccup, always thinking about the important things.   
When they were done, North sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking.   
Bunny and I remained silent and the strangers seemed to figure it was the best idea.   
"I'm afraid, I'm not going to allow you to get volunteers from the tribe. If word gets out that the Cure might succeed, that humankind might soon cease to exist, it'll spread unnecessary panic. I would rather that didn't happen.  
"But, if someone who has already heard wishes to go with you, I will not stop them."   
The pretty girl looked like she was going to cry, how hard had she worked for this?  
"North?" I said, carefully, I wasn't sure how he and Bunny would react. "I'm going with them."  
Bunny spluttered and North raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure Jack?"  
I nodded, I'd always known that, if someone came with news of the Cure, then I'd join them. Not for me, but for Snowflake.   
As if reading my mind, Bunny said, "You're just going to leave?! Abandon your sister?"  
"Of course not, Kangaroo! I'm taking her, too." I answered.   
North seemed honestly surprised at this. "But Jack, she wouldn't last a day out there."  
"She will if I protect her. If we don't do this then it won't mean that much longer of a life for either of us, or much of a life at all!" The thoughts that kept me up at night bubbled to my lips, "One day, probably soon, I'll be gone, and she'll have to fend for herself, and learn to fight, and learn to kill. And she'll get that look in her eyes, the look in my eyes, and yours, and Bunny's and Tooth's and all of us that have seen, and dealt, death. And I can't stand the thought of her getting that kind of experience. I'd rather let both of us die trying to find a way, then that any of that happen. And if we succeed? Then I'll be able to watch her grow up, with that worry replaced with hope. Hope that I might watch her hair grow as grey as mine, and her face become as wrinkled as yours. I want my sister growing old, to be a probable, not an unlikely. And this seems like the best option."  
"That was quite the speech, Jack, and as long as you're sure, I won't stop you." North said, it sounded enough like a dismissal that I waved Hiccup and his friends back outside the tent.   
We were met by about 50 kids, probably between 8 and 14.  
"What did North tell you? SCAT!" I yelled at them, they all ran off in different directions. Snowflake appeared from the crowd and jumped into my arms, I swung her round till she was positioned on my hip. "Thought I told you to scat, too!" She just giggled. I looked at the other three teenagers. "This is Snowflake. She'll be our newest addition, if that's ok!" Both girls awed. "And I'm Jack, I think I forgot to mention."  
"I'm Merida," the red-head said, "that's Rapunzel, and you know Hiccup." I shook both girls' hands and got Snowflake to do the same.   
"Shall we go eat?" I asked, "It's not much, but it's not muck." Snowflake giggled, as she did every time I told that joke, and so did Rapunzel. I grinned. Everyone but my sister had gotten fed up with my humour weeks ago, but my new friends had yet to get sick of it.


	5. Hiccup

The food was fairly disgusting. Not that I would say it out loud, I'm too polite. Merida did though, but that seemed to only be because she got to tell Jack that it was, in fact, muck.  
Snowflake burst out laughing. She was cute, for a kid, with shoulder length, brown hair, and massive brown eyes that were always filled with laughter. I hate kids. This is going to be a long trip.  
Rapunzel , or 'Rap' as Snowflake had dubbed her, loved the little ankle biter. Playing little singing-clapping games, and helping her choose which teddy bear to bring. Rap (dangnabbit, now I've started calling her that too) successfully convinced Snowflake to bring only the tiniest toy she had, to save room in her little rucksack. Then, she sang a little lullaby and and Snowflake went to sleep. Finally!  
When Rapunzel came back from her babysitting, the four of us had a mini-meeting to discuss our next step.   
"We still need 5 more people, and I don't know where to go to find them." I said.  
"What about Arendell?" Jack suggested, he sat with his arm slung around Rapunzel's shoulders, they seemed to have gotten pretty close. "They have eligible youngsters."  
"Yeah, if the queen let's us into the kingdom, and if she lets us ask people to join us, and if she doesn't kill us before letting us leave, and if anyone actually volunteers." I argued, Arendell was a bad idea, I'd always tried to avoid it.   
"Or if I know where and when the princess is on watch, and if I've already talked to her about the Cure, and if she agrees that it's necessary." Jack sarcasmed.   
"Oh." I said.   
"Yeah, 'oh'" Jack crossed his arms over his chest, smugly.   
Rap raised her hand, "What's Arendell?"  
I sighed, but it was Jack who answered, "It's a kingdom, up north, an Ice Queen rules there, she has powers beyond imagining, enough to keep even the Its from entering. We passed there a few weeks ago, some of our number stayed, it's a great place, if you like the cold, which I do, but I didn't want Snowflake to be in perpetual winter when she's growing up, it can't be good for her."   
"So, Arendell? It's decided?" Rap asked.   
"Sure, but I need to go somewhere first, it more or less on the way, and it's nearby, and it'll really help our journey." I said, and everyone agreed that it sounded like a good plan.   
"Now, we sleep!" Merida said, already getting comfortable on her mat, "I dunno 'bout you lot, *yawn* but I'm exhausted."  
We all agreed and got into our beds. I pretended not to notice when Jack and Rap moved their mats closer together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What is that?" Merida asked incredulously. It had been 2 days since we left the Guardians' camp and Merida was sick of walking, which made her all the more grumpy.   
"That is Toothless." I answered.   
"It's a truck!" Rap stated.   
"A solar powered truck!" I corrected. I had been working on Toothless for years, looking for parts wherever I could find them. The most difficult part had been transferring it from Diesel to electric powered, but then it had fairly easy to attach on the two large solar panels, and as many car batteries as I could lay my hands on. There were about 70 batteries so far, and almost a mile's worth of wires. "The batteries should keep us going when we reach Snowland. But if not then we'll just leave him till I can get him without worrying about Things attacking."  
"He's beautiful!" Rap said.   
"Why's he called Toothless?" Snowflake asked.   
"Because the metal things in front of the engine look like teeth and they've all broken off." I answered as shortly as I could. I may have been walking with the little snowball of curiosity for two days, but I still hate kids. "Now, in the caves over there I've got some additional supplies, food, weapons, and some old gear that might fit Rap and Snowflake better than the ones you have now."  
"You called me Rap." Rapunzel commented.   
"What?"  
"You've never called me Rap before, you said it was a stupid name and couldn't understand why everyone called me it."  
"Well, it's a lot shorter than Rapunzel and takes less time to say. Anyway, let's go, jump in." I got into the driver's seat and Jack slid in beside me with Snowflake on his lap, Rap and Merida climbed in the back.   
It took about 3 seconds to pull up in front of my cave, but it seemed worth it to drive so we didn't have to go back and forth, which would take too much time.   
In the cave, I showed Rap and the snowball of energy where the closet was. I had all the gear that I used when I was growing up.   
Then, after he said that he didn't need any gear and was fine with just his blue hoodie, I showed Jack my weapons and told him to pick something more deadly then the toothpicks he had now. He seemed pretty interested in the staff with retractable, curved blades at the top.   
Finally, Merida and I totally raided my food supples, packing everything except the bags of boiled sweets. Well, I packet one bag, but only to bribe Snowflake with when she got too annoying.   
Finally, everyone had everything they needed, we got back in Toothless and started our very long drive to Arendell.


End file.
